Five Must Have Cards for Mike Piazza Collectors
The story of one of the greatest hitting catchers in baseball history started all the way down in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft. Mike Piazza, who's father was a friend of Tommy Lasorda, was taken by they Dodgers in the 62nd round as a favor to Piazza's father. On a whim Lasorda convinced him to switch to catcher and the rest is history.
Piazza ended his story book career with 399 home runs (most by a catcher), a .308 batting average, and more than 1,300 RBI. He also earned Rookie of the Year, 12 All-star appearances, 10 Silver Slugger Awards and an induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
While collector's have seemingly unlimited Piazza cards, but here are five that stand out.
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#5 - 1999 Topps Chrome Lords of the Diamond Refractor
The 1999 Topps Chrome Lords of the Diamond Refractor is a great card, and for a few reasons. One, it's an early die-cut when companies started to toy with innovation in the hobby. But it's also one of the first Piazza cards with him in a Mets uniform. Traded twice in the span of a week during the 1998 season, he ended up on the Mets from the Dodgers with stop in Miami for a few days.
This card is relatively inexpensive. According to eBay sold listings, a raw version can be bought for around $10.
#4 - 1997 Topps Chrome Mike Piazza/Hideo Nomo Diamond Duos
This next card is a two-for-one. This insert, Diamond Duos, is a double sided card out of 1997 Topps Chrome, this one features both Mike Piazza and famed pitcher Hideo Nomo, both stars of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.
While a nice piece and a memorable one at that, it is a cheap piece for Piazza collectors. The raw version goes for anywhere between $2 and $10.
#3 - 1998 Upper Deck Variation Card #68a
He only spent a week with the Florida Marlins, so cards with him in the classic teal green Marlins uniform are few and far between. But the 1998 Upper Deck SP Variation, card number 681a is the one to have. It's a full body shot in a white, pinstriped uniform admiring a hit.
While it's an inexpensive card, gem mint ones are hard with a pop count of only three. Raw versions go for about $5, sometimes less. With PSA 10s worth around $100.
#2 - 1993 Topps Finest Refractor
Number two on the list is the most valuable. His 1993 Topps Finest refractor's value is helped by the fact it was the first year of the Finest brand. And the refractors are what collectors treasure. Still five years away from the momentous trade, he's standing tall in the batter's box in his Dodgers uniform.
One graded PSA 9, like the above card, went for more than $850. The sale was on April 16th, according to eBay sold listings, and went for $856 even. Raw versions according to a few sales on eBay, go for about $600.
#1 - 1992 Bowman #461
The number one card for Mike Piazza collectors is another cheap, yet famous piece. His 1992 Bowman rookie, card number 461, is one of the most iconic of his cards. Crouched in the catcher's position he must have been doing a bullpen session, or it was just for show, because his chest protectors is missing.
While raw versions can fetch between $15 and $30, high grades can go for almost 10 times that. According to eBay sold listings, a PSA gem mint 10 last sold for $192.99 on May 24th.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz